Improved apparatus for carbureting air



. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1-. S. T. McDOUGALL.

Carburetor.

Patented June 5. 1866.

Q fwwe'raz vz" aw? ha, Wanhiugion, D4 C.

' v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. T. McDOUGALL.

Carburetor.

No; 55,324. Pat'ented June 5. 1866.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

s. T. MoDOUGALL, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CARBUR ETING AIR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55, 324, dated June 5, 1866.

3, a central sectional view of a modified fornr of the carbureter, and Fig. 4 an inverted view of one of the pans detached.

The nature of my invention consists in a novel automatic device whereby the flow of fluid into the carbureter so regulates itself as to keep a constant quantity of fluid in the carbureter, and also in a novel device for opening and closing the aperture through which the air is admitted into the carbureter, whereby the said aperture is opened or closed from any convenient part of the house, which avoids the necessity of going to the carbureter to accomplish the object.

To enable those skilled in the art to manufacture and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with particularity.

The same letters represent corresponding parts in the different figures.

A represents the case of the carbureter, B the fluid-vessel, and G the pipe by which the two are connected. D is a valve, which is connected with the float E by means of the rod F. When the carbureter is empty the float E, which is made of cork or other light material so constructed that it will float upon oil, rests upon the bottom of the carbureter, and the valve D is open. By opening the cock H the gasoline flows down into the carbureter, fills the pans I, which are arranged in the carbureter one above another, as shown, and flows over into the bottom of the carbureter, when the float E is raised by floating upon the oil and closes the valve D, which stops the flow of oil into the carbureter. As the gasoline is used up and passes off in the form of gas through the gas-pipe J the fioatE gradually falls and opens the valve D, which admits more oil to replenish that in the carbureter as fast as it is con- ,sumed and keeps the quantity therein always the same.

As the carbureter which I use is designed to be placed above the burners, the air is admitted into the carbureter, at the top, through the aperture K,and passes through the air-chamber L into the pan below; but, as I soldera spiral coil of sheet metal, M, to the bottom of each pan except the lower pan in the series, which spiral coil I cover with cloth or other suitable fibrous material, which will become saturated with the oil, and as the lower edge of the coil dips into the fluid in the pan just below when the pans are arranged in the carbureter, the air is compelled to pass through the channel thus formed from the circumference to the center of the pan, where it falls into the pan below and passes through a similar spiral channel to the circumference of that pan, where it falls to the pan next below, and so on until it passes down into the bottom of the carbureter, where, taking up more or less of the fluid there contained, it passes down the gas'pipe J to the burners. It will be seen that by this arrangement of channels I obtain a very great carbureting-surface, since, the cloth becoming saturated, the air comes in contact with the gasoline on three sides of the channel, and by simply extending the cloth acrossthe top of the channel it would come in contact with it on all sides. The arrangement of said spiral coil on the bottom of a pan is clearly shown in Fig. 4.

To prevent any escape of gas through the aperture K when the apparatus is not in use, I close said aperture with the valve N. The said valve being hung to one end of the lever O, Iattach a wire, P, to the other end and cause it to extend down to the room containing the light which is the most frequently the last light extinguished. Then, when the lights are extinguished, by simply loosening the wire P the valve N falls and closes the aperture K.

Q is a cock for the purpose of letting air direct into the gas-pipe J.

I do not limit myself to placing the float E in the bottom of the carbureter, for it can easily be arranged in a chamber connected with the bottom of the carbureter in such a manner that the. fluid will flow into the chamber and cause the float to operate to open and close the valve, substantially as above described.

2. In combination with a carbureter containing a series of pans arranged one above another, the valve N, when operated by means of the Wire P or its equivalent, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

S. T. MODOUGALL.

Witnesses:

EDMUND A. SMITH, WM. J. CARLTON. 

